Improved machine foe digging post-holes



I @uiten tstrs getint @fitta JOSEPH THOMPSON AND B. B. HERRIGK, OF E DGfElITOOD, ILLINOIS.

Letters .Patent No. 71,086, dated November 19, 1867.

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T0 ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that we, J". THOMPSON and B. B. HERRICK, o f Edgewood, in thc county oi' Effingham, in the State of'Illinois, have invent'ed an Improve'd Machine for Digging Post-Holes; andwe do herebydeclare' that the following is a full and exact description thereof,.re`erence being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part ot this specification, in whichv Figure 1 is a representation of our invention. v I

Figure 2,- a longitudinal elevation of the devicewhich retains the dirt after having been elevatedvby the auger. Y' r' The nature of our invention consists-in the use of a substantial frame, supported upon wheels, to 'which are attached standards for guiding a post-hole auger, and in the use of such mchanical appliances as will turn, raise, and lower the auger, suitably for boring a post-hole; and, further, in the use of a shovel, operated by levers in such a manner as to pass under the dirt raised by the auger, and prevent it from'falling into thehole.

In order to give a correct understanding of' our invention, we have marked corresponding partsand will now give a detailed description. Y A A represent a substantial frame, resting upon wheels F F and foot G, for the convenience of transportation, and holding the machine in position when the post-hole is being made. Standards B B are secured to.

frame A A, and extended high enough for the auger-sash C (to which theaugcr is attached) to raise and lower, according to the depth ot hole to be bored. `A pinion, I, is attached to the shank D of auger E; and is niade to turn said shank by means of a bevel pinion, J, attached to a crank-shaft, K, made to rise and fall ina slot, L, as the auger E is made to enter or rise out of the ground. This arrangement is very similar to the common boring machine for makingholes'in wood, and thereforeis not considered new. Standards M M are attached toframe A A, and are made to support a capstan, N,'used in combination with a chain, O O, and pulley, P, in yraising auger out ofthe ground at such times as the dirt is to be raised out of the hole to be dug. A common ratchet, S, is attached to the drum of capstan-N, and mad'e to hold" the anger in the required position by means of a self-balancing pawl, T, hung tothe inside vot' one of the posts M. l

The arrangement for preventing the dirt, from entering the post-hole, after having been drawn out by the augerE, consists of a shovel, U, iig. 2, attached to levers W, figs. 1 and 2, which are put through a roller, V,v figs. 1 and f2, and made to force said shovel U under the dirt as soon as removed from the post-hole, and deposit it atsucha point as most convenient. A rod, X, is attached to a lever, Z, (fixed to roller V,) and used to operate shovel U by means of a' crank, y, and a catch, a, attached to standard 1M, bywhich means said-shovel U can be held in `position for transportation, when crank y is Aadjusted in notch j' of catch a, and keptfrom'p'assing under the shovel by putting the crank in notch 7L; and at the same ltime that the notch f isfns'ed, -that part of the crank shown at a: will strike against thel end of balancing-pawl T, and cause-it to fall into ratchet S, and hold the anger ont of the ground, the position of crank y, when shovel U is forced under anger E, being clearly shown at iigs. 1 and 2. A rope, d, tig. 1, is attached Ato the under side of' sash C, and is made to pass over pulley c, or otherwise, as most convenient, Ai'or the attachment of n weight for forcing the auger Einto thc ground, or regulating the feed. l Y

The operation is very simple, and as follows: The frame A A can be moved, by horse-power or otherwise, to such a place as' will bring the auger E over the spot where the hole is to be bored, after which the crank y should .be put in notchf, which will allow auger E to rest on' the ground. 'lhc crank K can then be turned until a hole has been made thc required depth, at which time the capstan N can be turned, and draw the auger out of thcl ground, and crank y lowered, as at figs. 1, 2, so as to 'prevent the dirt from falling into the hole.

Having thus fully described our device, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The shovel U, hung to roller V by means of levers W, and operated by means ot' lever Z, rod'X, and crank y, for thc purpose of catching the dirt drawn out by auger E, substantially as herein specified.

2. The combination ofthe standardsB, having a slot, L, with sash C, shovel U, and auger E, arranged and operating as herein described.

' 8. The combination of the capstan N, pawl T, sash C, standards B, shovel E, levers W Z, rod X, andcra'nli l y, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

. JOSEPH THOMPSON,'

B. n. HERRICK.

Witnesses:

DAVID E. RICHMOND, O. H. R-Ermz. 

